


The Fall of Gabriel Reyes

by zoruapng (maggei)



Series: i make gabriel reyes suffer [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, M/M, Pre-Fall of Overwatch, Sad Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 04:56:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18542716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maggei/pseuds/zoruapng
Summary: He doesn’t know what happened.Only a year ago, Gabriel Reyes had a healthy relationship with his husband. He supposes he took it for granted. Now, he’s not even sure this is Jack Morrison anymore.The world goes crumbling under Gabriel Reyes' feet, bit by bit.





	The Fall of Gabriel Reyes

“I don’t think I love you anymore.”

The words repeated over and over in his head. It was inevitable with how things were going for them, but… 

But hearing Jack say it was something he could’ve never prepared for. 

_I don’t love you._

“Oh.” That’s all Gabriel could get himself to say. Jack wouldn’t look at him. He can’t control his emotions. He hates it, he hates it, he- 

“I’m sorry.” Jack apologizes a lot. But he’s never sounded this weak. 

All Gabriel’s mind can supply him with his questions. Anger blooms inside his chest. Not at Jack. At himself. What the fuck did he do wrong? How did he do so badly his relationship failed? 

“Get out. Please.” Gabriel needs space. He can’t deal with this while Jack’s right there. 

“Gabe, I-” 

“Jack,” Gabe snaps, fist hitting the wall to get Morrison to shut up. “Get. Out.” 

He leaves with another apology. 

Gabriel ends up crying. 

\-- 

He doesn’t know what happened. 

Only a year ago, Gabriel Reyes had a healthy relationship with his husband. He supposes he took it for granted. Now, he’s not even sure this is Jack Morrison anymore. Gabe used to be cuddly -- and damn, he still is -- but there’s an unspoken agreement not to touch each other. The tension is heavy-- suffocating. It’s like this every night. He aches just to turn around and touch Jack, but Gabriel respects boundaries, regardless of how much he hates how they’ve regressed. He’s scared. Scared of Jack leaving him after thirty fucking years. Scared of Jack’s coldness. It’s new -- not a good new -- and he absolutely despises it. He knows Overwatch is crumbling at the seams, and it’s hurting Jack. He just works to ignore the crippling stress, as always. 

Jack takes up smoking. It’s concerning, especially after how much he used to scold Gabriel about how unhealthy it was. They often encounter each other on the ledge outside of their room, both taking drags, never speaking. Gabriel wants to apologize for everything, but he knows it’ll be like this until Overwatch can somehow become positive in the public eye. It seems that is unlikely, however. 

Tonight isn’t much different. 

Gabriel felt the weight of his lighter in his jean pocket. He held an unlit cigarette between his lips, leaning against the railing. His throat was tight; he and Jack haven’t talked in days. Finally initiating conversation felt literally impossible, but he has to. For his own sake. 

“Hey,” Gabe finally breaks the silence. “Forgot my lighter inside, can I use yours?” His voice is surprisingly unwavered, especially with how shaky he felt. 

Jack doesn’t even fucking look at him. It’s infuriating, and it hurts. He wants to beg for his goddamn undivided attention. He hasn’t had it since Jack’s been like this. 

He’s handed the lighter, silently. He sees Jack peering at him in the corner of his eye, watching carefully. He seems cautious. Almost as if he feels like touching Gabriel would burn him, or some shit. Whatever the reason, there’s an indescribable weight inside his chest that makes breathing feel difficult. 

He takes it with a muttered thanks. It tastes awfully like failure. Jack didn’t even speak to him. 

The comforting click of a lighter sounds a few times as Gabe lights the damn thing. The moment the butt of the cigarette is lit, he inhales a deep drag, feeling the smoke build inside his lungs before blowing it back out. With every single cigarette he smokes, he feels his need for nicotine increase. 

Jack heads in after he’s done smoking. He crushes the butt with the heel of his boot before heading in without a word. Gabriel follows later. The fresh air helps him think clearer. Both of them smell like cigarette smoke. The smell has contaminated their bed sheets, but ever since their distance neither of them have taken the initiative to wash them. It used to be awfully domestic; a weekly routine where they alternated. 

Now, they leave at separate times, never acknowledging each other. Every morning hurts. He finds himself having dreams about what they used to be. Those mornings he wakes up crying. 

He doesn't know how much more he can take. 

\-- 

Jack sends ‘messengers’ to avoid talking to Gabe. 

Gabriel comes to realization that the strike-commander is doing everything he can to avoid any contact. 

It’s so fucking infuriating. 

More than that, it’s insulting. Why can’t he handle seeing his own fucking husband? 

The ‘messengers’ recite simple things. Commander Morrison said to report to the launch pad. Commander Morrison said to send your squads on a mission in wherever the fuck. 

Point is, it’s fucking stupid. 

Every night when they go to bed, at least the few nights Jack is actually there, bitterness sits on Gabriel’s tongue. He wants to address it, but he can’t get himself to. The part of him that loves Jack more than anything wants to avoid negative confrontation, as if doing so would convince Jack to return to him. 

He knows it’s false hope. 

\-- 

Jesse left. 

Gabriel, for once in his fucking goddamn life, outwardly doesn’t know what to do. Internally, yeah, he’s stuck often. This time, though, he’s pacing back and forth, arms coming around himself as he fights back the urge to cry. His best man -- the one he felt was his own goddamn son -- left when he needed him most. Gabe knows this isn’t what Blackwatch is about, but it hurts and feels so personal, especially at a time like this. Jesse had told him he wasn’t himself anymore -- that Blackwatch was changing. He knew the boy was right, but it didn’t lessen the pain. 

He didn’t realize he had started crying until a sudden drop appeared on Jesse’s resignation papers. Gabriel wiped at his eyes rapidly, jaw clenching in an attempt to stop the tears from flowing any faster. It didn’t help. His knees suddenly felt weak. He collapsed, clenching the papers to his chest. A sob pushed past his lips. Commander fucking Reyes losing his absolute mental stability at his second-in-command leaving. Pathetic. 

The door slides open with a soft mechanic whirr. Of course, Jack fucking Morrison stands in the doorway. Gabriel jumps up, quickly setting the papers on the ground before using the wall to help him stand. He turns away, wipes his eyes, and regains his composure. 

When he turns around, Jack’s staring at him. He’s as rigid as a board, obviously uncomfortable. Where’s the Jack that used to hug him when he cried? 

“Uh,” the strike-commander finally speaks. “Did I… interrupt something?” 

“Dunno,” Gabe sniffs. “You tell me.” 

Jack blinks, clears his throat, then straightens his posture. 

“Right. I, uh, wanted to talk to you about a mission debrief.” Blondie holds out the report Gabriel had written. 

“No point,” Gabe turns on his heel to walk off, “Jesse’s gone.” Then, suddenly, a meteor of realization hit Jack. 

“Reyes,” Jack scolds. It sounds like he’s talking to a fucking three-year-old. “Your personal feelings shouldn’t affect your work.” 

“Yeah,” Gabe turns around. “Just like you’ve avoided talking to me for, what, a whole fucking month?” He didn’t mean to snap, but god. It’s been hitting him like a brick ever since. 

“I just know how to prioritize what’s important,” Morrison sneered. 

Reyes blinked for a moment, trying to process what the hell he just heard. His jaw clenched, and he glared at Jack. Moving from his spot, he angrily stormed to the papers he had left on the floor. Face red with anger, he harshly pushed them against Jack's chest. 

“Get the fuck out, Morrison. Leave me the fuck alone.” 

“Why, so you can brood?” he sneered. Jesus, Jack was really trying to go for the throat, huh. Gabriel didn’t even fucking know what to say. His expression stood steady at a scowl, but he felt crushed. 

“I said _get the fuck out_!” His voice boomed, startling Jack. He blinked, grabbed the papers, then walked out with a nod. He felt helpless. After pacing a bit, he pressed his back against the wall and let himself slide down until he sat. His hands shook as he cupped his face, already feeling the hot droplets of tears. 

The world was crumbling under him. 

\-- 

“Blackwatch is suspended from any further missions.” 

Hold on. What the fuck? 

Gabriel knows, more than anyone, that ever since Genji ran off without a word and Jesse resigned, Blackwatch hasn’t been the same. This just… feels unreasonable. 

“Why, just ‘cause we fucked up a mission? Morrison, that’s not unusual.” 

“I know it isn’t, Reyes.” Jack inhales, seemingly in an attempt to calm himself. “Ever since Blackwatch was leaked to the public, it hasn’t been able to function like it was supposed to-” 

“‘Supposed to’? What the fuck do you mean by that.” With every word, tension builds in Gabriel. It’s a warning. Jack needs to watch what the hell he’s saying. 

“Blackwatch was a covert ops, Reyes. You’ve managed to ruin that.” He finishes in a mumble, just loud enough for Gabriel to hear, “It’s the reason Overwatch is failing.” 

Gabriel wants to punch Jack Morrison in the fucking mouth. 

“Why the fuck is it my fault? I saw Antonio was right, Morrison. It was a waste of our fucking time.” He’s furious. Gabe feels his fists shaking in the effort it takes not to hit something. 

“If you hadn’t acted so goddamn recklessly, nothing would be like this. Maybe McCree would still be here if you hadn’t.” 

That hurt. 

It hurt more than he wanted to admit. 

“Fuck you.” 

Gabriel storms off. He hates how Jack knows where to hit. 

\-- 

The building shook the moment it exploded. 

Fuck. He had to find Jack. 

Gabriel set down his tablet. The report he had been ordered to write meant nothing anymore. All he could think about was finding Jack. He didn’t care if Jack hated him or not. He needed to be safe. And alive. 

As quickly as he could, he searched around the floor he was on. He knew what this was. An attack. 

Of course, the Overwatch Headquarters was bombed. 

At this point, it was hardly a surprise. Overwatch was crumbling. All of them were vulnerable. Weak. Easy to target. It was inevitable. 

Alarms blared loudly. People were shuffling to get out. Athena’s voice sounded over the intercom: _Initiating immediate lockdown_. He increased his speed, black wisps flecking off his body in a result of his distress. _Jack, Jack, Jack_. Where was he? 

One moment he was rushing to find Jack. The next, the ceiling had caved in. He felt a hit of pain before everything went black. 

\-- 

Gabriel woke to the smell of smoke. 

The first thing he noticed was he couldn't feel anything from the waist down. Second, everything above hurt. His eyes refused to open at first. After he finally could see, he immediately wished he hadn't. 

Everything around him was on fire. The building that was once the Overwatch Headquarters was nothing but rubble. 

He tried to move, to lift himself up with the little grip he had. It didn't work; the pain was unbearable. 

Upon glancing down, he noticed a sharp scrap of metal had protruded through his abdomen. Blood seeped through his hoodie. A large piece of the building had landed itself on his lower half. He couldn't move his legs regardless of how much he tried. They were crushed. 

He hoped Jack was safe. 

Wait. 

Jack. 

Gabriel's eyes scanned the area for the strike-commander. Jack was beside a large piece of debris. It had just missed him, thank god. But he had two deep cuts across his nose and his lip. A concerning amount of blood was being lost. He desperately tried to move, but he was trapped. 

“Jack!” Reyes yelled in desperation. “Jack, wake up!” 

Was that really his voice? It was too raspy-- too gravelly. He yelled until his throat hurt. It didn’t seem to be working. Maybe Jack wasn’t even alive. Maybe-- 

Jack moved. Gabe perked up as much as he could. He watched as the strike-commander took in his surroundings, touch his wounds with a wince, and realize he was adjacent to a dying Gabriel Reyes. 

“You’re alive,” Gabriel croaked while Jack sprinted towards him, wobbly from blood loss. 

Jack didn’t offer a reply. He immediately attempted to lift the debris off of Gabe’s legs. It was no use. 

“Jackie,” Reyes said, gently. “You gotta get outta here. You’ll die if you don’t.” 

“I’m sorry,” Jack rushed out. “I-I’m sorry for distancing from you. I thought work was more important than my own fucking husband. I’m-” 

He paused. 

Gabriel’s hand was on his bloody cheek. 

“It’s okay, cariño.” Gabe found himself pulling Jack down for a final kiss. The metallic tang of blood filled his mouth, but he didn’t pay any mind to it. Jack wrapped his arms around Gabe’s torso, only loosening when Gabriel grunted in pain. 

Jack buried his face into Gabriel’s neck. The two of them held each other for a while. The longest either of them have in… God. Gabe lost count by now. 

Gabriel cupped Jack’s face, lifting it, staring at those beautiful blue eyes. 

“Go. Live, if only for me. Please.” 

“I love you.” Jack was crying. The saltiness of tears must’ve hurt, but he didn’t wince. 

“I love you too. Run, don’t look back. Promise me.” 

A nod. A squeeze of the hand. 

Jack ran. 

Gabriel took what he thought was his final breath. 

**Author's Note:**

> hey, thanks for reading!! this is the longest fic i've written. i know it isn't too long, but i hope you enjoyed it anyhow!  
> shout out to my friends nat and valley who read this fic as i wrote it and repeatedly told me how much it crushed them HLKDJ  
> let me know if you'd like me to write a second part, possibly about reaper and 76 ;)  
> i hope to write more. see you soon, hopefully!


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